The Phoenix wrestling team is ready to show off its skills to the home crowd.

The youthful Pirates will wrestle on their home mats several times during the stretch drive of the season, hosting duals on Jan. 4 and 11 as well as the OSAA District Tournament on February 18. After  a pair of home events early in the season, Phoenix spent the rest of December on the road, gaining valuable experience in the process.

A fledgling girls’ wrestling program is emerging for the Pirates with freshmen Talula Heckendorf and  Charlotte Thull-Crater and sophomore Emily Hadley leading the charge. A solid freshmen class also includes Caden Cunningham and Aidric Baynard on the boys’ side.

“All of the freshmen have been steadily improving and we are excited to see their potential moving forward,” Pirate Koach Kody Lindsey said.

Like Hadley, classmate Tanner Schuh has been making regular improvement on the mat.

A trio of boys’ highlight the junior class. Owen Mathewson leads the team in pins as he’s put things together early in the season. Erik Reyes-Medina is the program’s most coachable wrestler while Hunter Nash has a knack for finding ways to win.

Hunter Everhart is the lone Pirate senior who has been a regular participant and is emerging as the team’s leader. “We are excited about his desire to compete,” Lindsey said.